Legend of Zelda: Tink's Awakening part 1
by Violent Angel Girl
Summary: Only hours after Ganon's defeat, he is released from the Sacred Realm. Around the same time, Link rescues a mysterious young girl never seen in Hyrule before this day...coincidence? My first fanfic ever, not yet completedpart 2 coming soon
1. Prologue

Warning: This story contains language and mature subject matter which some may find offensive (because the romance does not involve Link and Zelda). This story also contains spoilers and fictionalized names, so if you haven't played Zelda64 yet, don't read this story and then bitch to me, 'cuz I warned ya!

  
  
  
  


For the umpteenth time, she had once again defeated the overrated Ganondorf. She was now kicking back, randomly jabbing at the buttons on the controller, watching Zelda's dialogue drone on and on and on. This stupid game never gets any better, the young girl rambled to herself. 'I didn't even need a fairy for this. Why do I even bother?' The Nintendo64 game she had received on her birthday and passed within only a few weeks was once her escape method from the dread of her adolescent life, but now, it was a means of keeping her nervous breakdown at bay. The only reason she was playing "Legend of Zelda" today was she had gotten an 85 on a recent test when her parents were expecting at least a 95, and her favourite necklace was 'found' melting in the chemistry lab by a couple of bullies. In fact, the task of watching the end scene of the game was so taxing on her, the girl didn't even realize her eyelids were growing heavier. By the time Link was floating through the incandescent tunnel of blue light, she was fast asleep, sprawled out on the basement floor of a dark, empty house.

  
  
  
  


"I'm telling you, it's me!" he said for the umpteenth time. 

The cheeky little blonde squinted at him quizzically once again. He was wearing a Kokiri tunic (that actually fit), and he did have the Ocarina that she had seen Saria with. And he did know the song she taught only to her friends. Still, there was still so many unanswered questions. "I don't know . . . " she drawled out again. "I still don't really believe you, but you said if I didn't, you'd turn me into Moblin stew-and only people living in the forest would know what a Moblin is." She stopped, and looked him up and down again. "But you're too old to be a Kokiri!"

"See?! I told you! Now, will you please just let me into my own house? I'm practically dying. All I need is some Lon Lon Milk, and then you and our-I mean, your little friends can chase me out of here with sticks and stones, okay? I'll even let Mido kick me in the ass a few times, just let me go into my freaking house!"

"Ah-HAH!" This was the Kokiri girl's chance to trick him. "Strike two, buddy! Mido is a kind, caring young person who wouldn't hurt a fly. Nice try, pal. Hit the field." "What the hell are you talking about? You hate Mido. Everyone hates Mido. That little runt is always giving people trouble. He blamed me for the Great Deku Tree's death, for crying out loud! Why are you defending him?"

At this news, the young girl gasped. "No one else would know that . . . " she whispered with great effort. "Link? Is that-really-you? By the goddesses!" She then let out a gleeful scream and jumped into the young man's arms as the army of children behind her began to cheer in unison: "Link's back! Link's back!!!!" They swarmed him without warning, dragging him down to their level, which was easy because Link was too weak to fight after his great battle. He didn't care, though. It had started to rain quite heavily, and he felt refreshed nonetheless.

  
  
  
  


The Hyrule Town Market Square was empty, except for the few stray dogs that ran around aimlessly sniffing the garbage left on the streets. The din from the skies did not disturb them at all; however, the trembling of the earth did. Strangely, it seemed to be emanating from the Temple of Time. Inside the temple, the empty Pedestal of Time shuddered violently, as if an earthquake was taking place inside of it. Finally, the force shaking the tiles of the floor was so great that it cracked, splitting the Pedestal into several pieces.

  
  
  
  


Thunder roared throughout the neighbourhood. The rain fell in waves. Streaks of lightning flashed through the black, inky sky, and began stabbing at the ground. One large oak tree was blasted into shards by a bolt of electricity, leaving a burning mass behind. Another bolt slammed into an electricity box, simultaneously shutting down the power in every adjacent house. Every house, that is, except for the one where a Nintendo64 was still on. At last, the storm had reached its climax, firing one last lightning bolt straight into the girl's house through an open window. Coincidentally, it struck the controller, the medium connecting the girl and the game together. But she was fast asleep; had she been awake, she may have had the chance to drop the controller at the last second.

Then again, if she had let go of the controller, this story never would have taken place.

And then where would we be?


	2. Visiting from out-of-town

Tink's Awakening

  
  
  
  


Chapter 1

  
  


The girl awoke lying face down in a field of wet grass with the rain beating down on her. She sat up on her hands, gasping, trying to figure out where she was. It was too dark to be sure, but one thing was certain: her house, along with all the others on her street, was nowhere to be seen. Where was she? What had happened? She tried to get up, but couldn't. Her back seemed to be heavy with something. Turning her head over her left shoulder, she saw nothing. But, just as she was about to try standing again, lightning lit up the sky to reveal a monstrous skeleton, pinning her down to the ground with its foot.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream as the bony thing reached for her hair, removed its foot, and hoisted her into the air. In a panic, the girl thrashed her arms and legs until one or the other struck her attacker in the ribs, snapping one off. It dropped her, and she took no time getting to her feet and running off. She didn't bother looking over her shoulder again to see if the monster was following her, nor did she bother thinking of where to run. The only thought on her mind was escape.

  
  
  
  


"Did you hear that?" said one girl.

Just as she blurted this, the fish that was nibbling on the baited hook of her twin swam away. "Dam-Lara!" the angry one almost swore. "What is the matter with you? That's the third one that's swam away!"

"Sor-ry! Jeez," Lara replied. "It's only a fish, Sara. There's no need to get mad at me."

"Well, actually, there is, Lara," Sara retorted. "Link is back now, so you don't have to run around being such a scaredy-cat like you always are. Fish aren't even scary."

"Well, they are to me, you stupid."

Sara threw down her fishing rod. "What did you call me, you twerp?"

Lara threw down her fishing rod. "Twerp? How dare you?! I'm older than you by two minutes! You should respect your elders, you-you insolent turd!"

"What?! You've got a screw loose. I'm the older one, idiot child!"

"You wanna piece of me?!"

"Oh, no . . . I want the whole thing!"

They were nose to nose when another shriek pierced the air, stopping them in mid-sentences. "There, see!" said Lara, raising a triumphant fist into the air. "I did hear something! Take that, you--"

"Oh, shut up already. It sounds like someone's in trouble. Let's get Link, now!"

"But what about the fish?"

Sara slapped her sister in the face, and ran off toward Link's house, leaving her bawling twin to chase after her.

  
  
  
  


Link was busy trying to stretch out on his too-small bed when the twins rushed in, gasping for breath and/or crying. "Twins?" he muttered sleepily. "What's going on? Why is Sara crying?"

"I'm Lara!" the crying one whimpered.

"We were out fishing when we heard screaming, " said Sara. "It was coming from outside the forest. Link . . . somebody might be in trouble!"

Link groaned and kicked off the bed sheet, which was way too small to begin with. "Come on, already, let's go," he grumbled, along with a few unintelligible words.

  
  
  
  


Her legs and lungs burned, but the girl didn't stop running. She was now being chased by at least four more skeletal monsters. She had begun to slow down, and they were gaining on her, but she kept her feet moving. As she continued to run, she thought she saw a large path marked by rows of trees. Maybe she was hallucinating? Maybe the rain was blinding her so much, she was seeing things? No, she couldn't take such a chance. Who knew what those creatures were going to do to her?...

She followed the path until she came to a dark tunnel. At this point, her heart seemed to give out, and she collapsed onto the wet muddy earth. The monsters grew closer. She could hear their footsteps. When will this nightmare end? She thought to herself.

When she felt herself growing unconscious, she saw a large figure coming toward her, pursued by more. Instinctively, she knew it was a human. It had to be. With the strength left in her, she crawled deeper and deeper into the tunnel, whispering for help. She recognized the feeling of hands and arms around her as she started to pass out. 

  
  
  
  


Link plunged his sword into the last of the Stalfos, and rested. He was still weak from his earlier battles-never had he required so much effort for five measly little beasts before. Remembering the fragile victim he had passed, he rushed back to the gang of Kokiri on the bridge in the Lost Woods tunnel. "What happened?"

The cheeky blonde left the huddle and ran to Link. "It's too dark to see, but it's a person. I think it's dead."

Link waded through the kids to the fallen one and lay his fingers to the person's neck. "Well, whatever 'it' is, it's alive, but very weak. We have to bring them in." Like a large pillow, Link slung the person over his shoulder and headed for the Kokiri houses. "You guys can help me by getting some food, and all the blankets you can get. Let's go!"

  
  
  
  


The girl awoke to snippets of a conversation between many people. None of it made sense, at first:

"How many blankets do we have?"

"No way! That's not enough. Look at how big he is!"

"You stupid! That's not a he. It's a she."

"Hey! How many times have I told you not to slap your sister?!"

"Sssh . . . she's waking up."

"Get Link! Get a fairy! Get anybody!"

The room in which she was very dim, but extremely warm. The girl could feel the bed in which she was lying. It was small, but tolerable. When her eyes were open most of the way, she looked around to see the intrigued faces of little children. They oohed and aahed when her eyes met theirs. At the sight of her, one of them turned around and dashed out the door, frantically calling out a name.

The sight of the big-eyed, almost grotesque-looking children frightened the young girl. She scrambled up from the bed, ready to run for the door, but was impeded by a sharp pain in her right foot, causing her to cry out. The volume of her voice scattered the Kokiri like ants, with the exception of one. The cheeky blonde inched forward and drew the blanket back to inspect the injured foot. "Ew, " she wrinkled her nose. "It's all bloody. I think it's dead, too." The girl was too weak to find her comment cute.

In fact, she was too weak to notice the tall, handsome youth hovering in the doorway. "What's going on?" he whispered to the nearest kid. "Is he all right?"

Lara pushed through the crowd and tugged on his tunic. "It's not a he! It's a she!" she hissed.

"What are you talking about?" one of the Know-It-All brothers piped up. "It's not even human! Look at its ears . . . "

"Wow," said another Kokiri. "They're so tiny!"

"Are those supposed to be eyes? They're so small."

"It's got weird clothes, too."

Link approached the whimpering figure on his bed. "She looks human to me," he replied quietly. "And she clearly needs our help."

His voice sounded so friendly to the girl, she dared to remove the blanket from her face and look upon her saviour. Their eyes locked together.

"Will someone get Navi for me?" Link asked to no one in particular, after what seemed like an eternity of silence. He then turned to the Kokiri gang. "I think you kids should go home now. I'll yell if I need any more help."

The girl's eyes drooped shut and her body relaxed into a deep sleep as the onlookers left Link's house, gossiping to each other. Only Link and the cheeky one stayed behind. They stared at the girl for a few minutes until Miss Cheeky eventually broke the silence. "What is it, Link?"

He grinned with amusement. "It's a human! Can't you tell?"

"But look at its ears! You can hardly see them."

"That just means she's not a Hylian."

"She almost looks like a warrior. Is she a Gerudo?" 

He shook his head. "No. Gerudos have red hair and big noses. I agree with you, though. She must be some kind of warrior . . . " He gestured to the knee-high, lace-up boots in the corner that had been removed from her earlier.

"But . . . what's a warrior without a weapon?"

At that moment, a bright blue spark zipped into the room. "HELLO!" Navi sang. "HEY! Who's this?"

"We brought her in from the field," Link reported. "Some monsters attacked her pretty badly. Do you think we could get her some food, and maybe something to heal her foot?"

"Sure," she responded. "But first, I think we better get those wet clothes off of her. She's shivering like crazy."

The three exchanged glances. "Oh, no. Don't look at me!" Link exclaimed. "You two and the rest of the fairies can figure it out. I'm not getting involved with this."

"I'll help! Let me! Let me! Make way, you peasants!"

Cheeky turned around, grimacing at the hyperactive little boy jumping around in the doorway. "Mido, you pervert. Get outta here!"

Mido entered the tiny room in his usual, arrogant manner. "Watch your mouth, blondie! I'm the boss around here, and what I say-"

"That's enough out of you, pipsqueak," Link interrupted, grabbing Mido by the ear and dragging him toward the exit. "Call me when she wakes up."

Mido answered with flailing limbs. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'll get you for this, you big bully. I'm telling on you to the Deku Tree Sprout, do you understand? He's gonna give you the ass-whooping of a lifetime! Owwwwww!" 

"That's for swearing at me," Link grinned fiendishly. 'Oh, how I love being grown-up . . .'

  
  
  
  


"Mina? What are you up to now?"

The blonde Kokiri dropped the girl's rain-soaked dress in the puddle it created at the sound of her name. "I think she's a warrior!" she replied to her fairy. "But I can't find her weapon. All warriors have one. Why I can't find hers?" 

Navi fluttered to Mina and stung at her nose. "She won't have one if she isn't a warrior, foolish girl. And even if she is, what do you think she will do to you when she finds you sniffing at her dress?!"

Mina's fairy shushed them both. Neither had to inquire why. The girl was wide awake, patiently watching them. Mina let out a small "eep!", rehung the black dress on the clothesline stretched across the room in a hurried fashion, and backed away from the bed.

The girl made no reaction to the fairies, or the Kokiri, or the fact that she was half-naked in a stranger's bed. This was obviously another one of her crazy dreams brought on by stress and too much cookie dough. 'No matter. I'll just sleep through this one like I always do,' she collectedly thought to herself.

Her nonchalance made the trio uneasy. "Mina!" Navi whispered. "Talk to her."

Mina was a stranger to courtesy. "Why don't you go talk to her, you big-mouthed know-it-all?!"

"Mina!" her own fairy chided. "Go! Now!"

The poor kid trembled with fear as she approached the young "warrior" staring her down from the bed. "Hi. Um, are you okay?"

The girl didn't respond, so Mina felt she had no choice but to bombard her with questions: "How's your foot? Are you a warrior? Are you a Gerudo? You better not be a Gerudo, 'cause if you are, you better get ready to run for it, 'cause we don't take-"

"Mina," the fairies scolded her. The girl still made no signs of acknowledgement. Mina finally gave up and ran out the door into the rain. The young girl watched with silent curiosity as the little Kokiri called out into the stormy night until another shadow appeared and followed her into the house.

"I don't get it," Mina whispered to Link as she dragged him inside by the hand. "Her eyes are open, but she doesn't talk. She's dead, isn't she?"

Link crossed the room, leaving Mina in the presence of the fairies, and knelt down beside the girl. They watched each other intently. The girl had trouble with Mina, but it was easy for her to recognize Link right away. Where was this dream leading her? She kept her eyes on him as he politely dismissed the girl and her guardian, leaving the two of them and the infamous Navi behind. 

"Hello," Link greeted her softly. When she didn't answer, he asked; "Do you know where you are? Do you remember anything that happened to you?" Still, no reply.

Link and Navi exchanged glances. He shrugged. He didn't know what else to say. Nervously, he cleared his throat and leaned a little closer to her. "What's your name?" He gestured to the little ball of light above his shoulder. "This is Navi. My name is-"

"Link?"

Her voice was so tiny, like the whisper of a single chime, it was almost inaudible. 

"H-how did you know that?" Link stuttered with surprise.

The girl lowered her gaze to the floor, but did not say anything else. Before Link could go on, a scrawny little Kokiri entered the house with a wooden plate in each hand: one contained a small fish, the other was a platter of steaming bandages. Link thanked him as he set the plates down on the table and left.

With the bandages ready, Link turned his attention back to the girl. "Can I take a look at your foot?" he asked her. She didn't speak, but she pulled the blankets back anyway. He picked up one bandage that was smoking from the hot water with which it was soaked. "Better brace yourself . . . "

The girl let out another one of her bloodcurdling screams, starting a chain reaction among the kids throughout the entire forest. "Navi!" Link commanded. "Quick! Go outside and shut them up! They'll only make her worse." The blue spark zipped out of the door without dispute, leaving him alone with the frightened stranger.

"There, there, it's okay," Link tried to comfort her. The girl went on sobbing, even as the pain began to subside and her foot was wrapped. "There, see? All done. Now, are you hungry?"

She was too busy crying to respond. The girl flipped over onto her other side to face the window. In his careful, courageous manner, Link sank down on the bed beside her and gingerly stroked her hair. "I know you're scared," he whispered after a moment. "But you don't have to be. I'm going to take care of you, okay? Don't worry; you're safe here." Almost immediately, the girl quieted down. He grinned despite himself. "You know . . . you still haven't told me your name."

The girl let out a few, tiny sniffles, and then, another chime whisper: "Tink."

Link couldn't help but chuckle. Tink! How adorable! "Tink," he said in a similar voice. "I like it. It's cute. You know what, Tink? I think we were meant to be good friends." 

This made her smile. Sadly, she cried periodically for the rest of the night, even after she fell asleep, because the pain in her foot unveiled a horrifying conclusion to her: this was not a dream.

  
  
  
  


Never had anyone experienced such pain. He squeezed through the crack in the floor, crawling up from the rubble, until he lay sprawled on the crumbled heaps of stone and tile. With great exertion, he managed to drag himself to the door, to the outside. The sky was dark with night, and the storm clouds were lifting. Things were different, though. For example, the zombies were gone, replaced with the wild dogs again. However, this didn't matter. The important thing was to get himself back to the castle . . . or, what was left of it. 


	3. Greetings

Chapter 2

  
  
  
  


Five days later, Tink was sulking in her new bed, feeling normal again . . . or, almost normal. As she waited patiently for breakfast, her head still swam with paranoid thoughts: 'What the hell am I doing here? Is this really happening? How am I ever going to survive this Wizard-of-Oz nightmare?' It had taken her so long to accept the fact that she wasn't even on her home planet anymore . . . what would happen to her now?

When she heard Link coming up the ladder, she readjusted herself, and stopped her rambling thoughts. He was carrying yet another steaming plate of fish--Tink wasn't the biggest fan of meat, but it was making her feel a lot better, so she made no complaints.

"Sorry," Link said apologetically as he entered the house. "You must be sick of this by now."

Tink shook her head. "No, it's okay." Her voice was still barely a whisper.

"There isn't really much variety here in the forest," he continued, sitting on the floor beside the bed. "Unless, of course, you're a big fan of grass and leaves." It settled him to see her crack a smile. "But, that's not going to be an issue for long. I've talked to some of the others, and they think you're ready to meet a friend of mine who will be able to tell us how you got here, and how we can help you."

Tink already had a good idea who he was talking about. "Who is this friend?"

"Her name is Zelda. I think she'll like you. She lives in the village. It's a little far from here, but I can take you there once you're feeling better."

'Zelda.' "Okay. Can we leave today? I think my fever's gone. I've been feeling a lot better lately."

Link wasn't too sure. He had a bad feeling, her wanting to get out of bed and travel so soon. He had taken her for a short walk the day before; Tink was very weak, too weak to go into lengthy conversations with the kids anyway, and she fell asleep when she sat down at the store as Link was purchasing some arrows. Not that he complained about carrying her back home.

"I don't know . . . " Link got up and placed a hand on her forehead. "Yeah, your fever has gone down a lot since yesterday." He stood up and thought for a moment. "Sure, what the heck? When would you like to leave?"

  
  


Link and Tink left that very morning. He was a little puzzled when he took out his Ocarina, played a tune and a magnificent mare appeared, and Tink didn't seem at all shocked. (Did they have Ocarinas in her world, too?)

"This," Link said with a grand gesture, "is Epona. She's a little stubborn around strangers, but she'll accept you sooner or later. Hop on."

Tink was already familiar with Epona's obstinate tendencies, but she had never ever been on a horse in her life. "Um, I don't know how to."

"Not a problem!" he replied, a little too enthusiastically. Being a naturally small and underweight girl, he had no trouble lifting her onto the horse. With Tink behind him, holding onto him tightly, they were off.

The afternoon sun was high overhead the land of Hyrule. The countryside was practically empty, with the exception of a racing horse and her two passengers. Link's mind began to wander as the image of Death Mountain got larger and closer. The sun was shining, the birds were singing: everything seemed calm and peaceful, like it always had seven years ago. But, Link knew as he felt a pair of tiny arms squeeze his waist tighter as Epona ran faster, that not everything was all right. Otherwise, this strange, new person wouldn't be here. Maybe his decision to stay in the future a while longer was not the best one. There was still that feeling that something was on its way. Or, worse yet, it was already here . . . 

"Oh no! Stop!"

Tink's sudden demand sent Epona into a frenzy as Link jerked on her reins. "What? What's the matter? Something wrong?"

There was something wrong. But she couldn't tell him. Moreover, she didn't know what else was bothering her herself. It felt as though something was out there, watching her. It wasn't good. "No," Tink whispered after a while. "Never mind."

But Link couldn't ignore that. She was looking away from him, out into the field, not quite looking at anything in particular. Tink didn't say anything more, so he gave Epona a little nudge, and they continued riding.

Link and Tink arrived at the towering staircase three hours away from the forest. "Here we are," said Link, hopping down from the horse. Tink said nothing as he helped her down. She kept her gaze to the ground, as if she was ashamed of something. Link studied her for a moment: she was truly a strange girl. What the Kokiri kids said about her the night she arrived was true. Her ears must have been incredibly tiny, they were completely masked by her hair, which wasn't long to begin with. Nothing wrong with her eyes, not that Link saw much of them. She was always trying to look away from him. Other than her ears and her strange clothes, he could see nothing wrong with Tink. So, why is she so sad? Link thought to himself. 'Why does she seem so afraid of everyone and everything? Most importantly, why do I feel so strangely about her?' 

"Tink," he addressed her, putting his arm around her. "Why won't you tell me what's wrong? What happened back there? It looked like you saw something."

Tink shook her head. "No. I didn't see anything. It was a false alarm." She raised her head and looked into his eyes. She smiled a little. "Come on. Let's go meet your friend." She waited patiently as Link tied Epona's reins to the nearest sign, and they walked up the big flight of stairs together.

Tink was awestruck when they reached the village. It was just as beautiful and peaceful as it looked in her game. There was no music floating through the air, of course, but there were other familiar sounds, like the Cuckoos scattered around the village, and the rumbling echoes the windmill made. Link was relieved to see the look of wonder on her face. For the first time since they met, she actually looked (almost) happy.

They walked hand in hand toward two men standing underneath a large tree some yards ahead. One man was waving his arms frantically, as if the world was coming to an end, while the other merely laughed at him mockingly. Link advanced to the man in the red shirt, the one who was laughing. "Hey, man, have you seen Zelda today?" he asked calmly.

"Ha ha ha-hey, Link! How's it going?" the man gasped between fits of laughter. "Hey, have you seen this guy? Jeez, the things he's going on about now! HA! It turns out he's been running all over the place, squealing about this earthquake. Can you believe it?! An earthquake!"

"Oh, yes, wonderful. Have you seen the Princess?"

"Wah, Zelda? Oh, she's *hee hee* in the old carpenter place! But before you go, you've gotta hear this guy's new story! Mwa ha ha! Man, it's a real panic!"

Ignoring the two men as they resumed their usual routine, Link guided Tink toward the house the carpenter gang once inhabited. "Don't mind them," he murmured into Tink's ear. "They're always carrying on like that."

"Yeah, I know." It took a fraction of a second for her to realize what she said. "Uh, I mean, some things will be forever. You know . . . " Tink turned away from Link, leaving him speechless and confused.

Without knocking, Link opened the door, and they entered the cozy little house. Tink stood in the doorway, watching him pass two chattering women at a nearby stove to a young woman busying herself with something on the other side of the room. Her back was facing Link, so she was very angry when he snuck up behind her and slapped her on the butt.

"Owww! What in the--" Zelda's look of fury melted into surprise when she saw her friend's grinning face. She screamed gleefully and jumped into his arms. The two of them laughed heartily as Link spun her around. "Link! My goodness! I was so afraid something had happened to you. I haven't heard a peep out of you in days!"

"Yeah," Link rubbed his head shyly, and gestured to Tink. "I've been a little, er, busy."

Zelda didn't smile as sincerely when she saw Tink. Being a symbol of authority in Hyrule, Zelda had met or at least seen everyone in the country. This girl, she had never laid eyes on. "Oh . . . who's your friend, Link?"

"This is Tink," he replied, bringing Zelda toward her. "Let's just say she's from out of town."

"I'll say." Zelda studied her intently as Tink smiled timidly and held out her hand. Her ears were so small . . . and who on Farore's green earth would walk around in such a short, black dress? Why, the only person in the country who wore black was . . . no, Zelda shuddered at that thought. She didn't reach for Tink's outstretched hand. "Pleasure to meet you," she said nonchalantly, almost coldly.

A mighty comeback hummed in Tink's throat, but it didn't come out. "Um, yeah . . . " she replied in a whisper. Then, to prevent uncomfortable silence, she added, "Link has told me a lot about you."

Zelda shot Link an amused (cynical?) smile. "Oh, really? Well, I must say, this is the first time I've been told about you."

"Of course it is! Link hasn't seen you in days."

The abrupt observation shocked all three of them. Zelda was rarely talked back to; neither Link nor Tink herself had ever heard her speak at a normal volume. Tink hung her head in shame. Finally, Zelda relaxed to her bouncy old self. "Come. We'll continue this at my house. It's much cooler there."

Link and his new friend followed Zelda past the Skulltula house, and up the stairway leading to Impa's front door. "Now that Impa's gone," she explained to Link, "the people of Kakariko have elected me to oversee them, until a new replacement can be found. Naturally, I accepted--I'll need to start somewhere, if I want to rebuild this kingdom."

"That's true," Link agreed. "You're the supreme ruler, now that the King is gone."

"Yes," Zelda nodded sadly. "And this will be a very difficult time: I have no advisor, no army. Even the castle will take years to return to its normal state. Luckily, we've already found someone to start leading the repairs." As they reached the house, the soldier in front opened the door and saluted the Princess. All the windows had been opened, so there was a breeze of fresh air inside. Zelda guided Link and Tink past the stove in the corner, up a rather long flight of stairs to the second floor of the house, and sat them down at a small table. Quietly, she muttered something to a nearby servant, and sat down herself. 

"Now," she said as she took her seat beside Link, "Link, you said that your friend . . . what's your name again?"

"Her name is Tink."

"Ah, yes, that's right. You said she was from out of town. What exactly did you mean by that?"

"Well, it's like this . . . " It took some time, but eventually, Link managed to give Zelda the details about Tink's mysterious arrival into Hyrule. Tink wasn't quite sure how to explain what had happened to her. How stupid would they think she was if she were to say, 'The last thing I remember was playing your video game and falling asleep?' No, she couldn't . . . 

"What about you, Tink?" Link was asking her. "You told me the morning after that you woke up in the field. What is the last thing you remember before that?"

'Oh, crap.' "Um, well, I don't really remember anything. I was at home, I fell asleep, and then . . . well . . . " Tink hung her head and gazed at her lap. 

"What?! How could not remember?" Zelda looked at her with contempt. "I mean, doesn't that sound a little strange to you?"

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"So, how do you explain your being here?"

Tink was at a loss for words. "I...I guess I can't, really."

"Okay, hold on a minute," Link raised his hands. "Zelda, it's not her fault. After all, she was pretty shaken up when we found her. You're making it sound like she did all this on purpose or something! She's still trying to adjust. Tink just needs some time, that's all." He took her hand in his, and smiled at her. "In time, she'll remember." 

Zelda watched them curiously as they smiled at each other. "All right, then. Without knowing how she got here, it's hard to say how we can return her to her normal time. The only thing I can suggest for you, Tink, is to try and adjust. There could be several ways to send you home, but without being sure, it's too big a risk."

Tink nodded. "That makes sense. Actually, it hasn't been so bad, being here. Link has been really nice to me." There was something in her voice that made Zelda glare at her for a split second. Link, however, didn't notice.

The servant to which Zelda had spoken earlier arrived at their table with three steaming cups of cocoa on a tray. Zelda, Link, and Tink sat in silence, drinking, until urgent sounds of distress were heard outside. They watched the front door burst open; the soldier from outside ran up the stairs to Zelda's side. "Your Highness!" he gasped and saluted. "You must come 

quickly-gasp-to the marketplace! It's the Temple!" Zelda jumped up, and the two ran out the door. "Link! Come on!" she shouted from outside.

He rose from his chair too, but his eyes were fixated on the young, confused girl in front of him. "Come on," he held out his hand to her. "That does mean you, too." Before Tink could protest ("Um, maybe I should stay, and, um, you know . . . "), he pulled her up by the hand, and they were out the door after Zelda.

When they set foot outside, Link and Tink discovered that they weren't the only ones heading for the market; in fact, the whole village was running amok, some leaving to see for themselves, others simply adding to the confusion. They followed the crowd down to the bottom of the staircase leading to the fields where they left Epona, and were racing toward Hyrule Castle (or what was left of it) in no time.

The marketplace was almost reminiscent of old times, as it was bustling with people from all over the country, muttering and gossiping. Tink was retreating back to her old state of fear as she held firmly to Link's hand, who pushed his way through the crowd. The people (Gorons, Zoras, fairies, Hylians, and Gerudos in disguise) were concentrated around the Temple of Time's front gardens, barricaded by the carpenter gang and the few Hyrule guards spared from previous battles. Link recognized them right away.

"Shiro! Jiro! Ichiro! Sabooru!" Link recognized each one and shook their hands. "And, hey! It's . . . good old . . . you." He held out his hand to the Carpenter Boss, who gave Link a vigorous, asphyxiating hug.

"Link, my boy! Give an old man a hug!" 

"What's going on here?"

"Have a look for yourself," the Boss jerked a thumb toward the Temple. "Zelda's already inside with a couple of soldiers. You should be all right going in . . . " It was then that he noticed Tink standing behind him. "Your lady friend, on the other hand, may have some trouble walking around. My goddess, is she ever small! She might fall through the cracks!" He guffawed at his own lame joke.

"Cracks?!" Link half-dragged his lady friend past the carpenters and ran into the Temple. There was an appalling sight awaiting them. The main room wasn't too bad. A few bricks of stone had fallen from the ceiling. Luckily, the pillars hadn't collapsed. The Spiritual Stones were in good shape, still spinning and singing in front of the Door of Time. Link sighed with relief. "Wow. It doesn't look that bad . . . " 

"Link . . . " Tink pointed toward the second room with uncertainty. "I wouldn't say so."

Immediately, he could see what she was talking about. "Oh, no . . . no," he repeated over and over, walking into the next room. Zelda was already there, hugging the wall, frozen in fear. The soldier she had arrived with was trying to console her. Link dropped Tink's hand in shock. The entire floor had been reduced to bits of rubble. Nothing legible remained of the Pedestal of Time. Not even the designs of the Triforce and the Medallions could be seen. 

Link slowly moved toward Zelda, never moving his eyes from the disaster. "Zelda . . . ? What happened here? What did this?"

She shook her head, sniffling. "Someone from the village--the man in the blue shirt who is always freaking out, you know him--he told me there had been this earthquake some time ago. He was bringing some food for the carpenters when they found this. They had noticed the earthquake late at night a few days ago, but they didn't pay any attention to it. It only stirred them from their sleep. But then, one of them came here, and found this mess . . . they sent the villager to Kakariko right away, but no one listened to him. He caused a scene, and told my guard . . . that was the one who came and got us." She was crying at this point. "I had no idea! If only someone had told me sooner, I could have . . . oh, I don't know what I could have done!"

Zelda practically collapsed into Link's arms, sobbing. He felt like crying, himself. There was nothing either of them could have done. But he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. They held onto each other, even as Tink broke away from the doorway and began climbing the piles of rocks scattered throughout the room. "Tink," Link called out, watching her. "Tink! What are you up to?"

"I see something!" she said. Tink scaled the biggest heap of stone bricks in the middle of the room, where she met up with a huge crack in the floor, like an empty vault in the earth. "Oh, boy, do I see something."

The others joined her on the heap of rubble, stretching their necks to look down into the bottomless pit of darkness. "By the goddesses," Link muttered. "I can only make one guess to what used to be down there . . . "

Zelda looked at him with tears in her eyes. "No," she shook her head. "No, Link. Please tell me something else could have done this . . . please tell me!"

Link turned away from her, closing his eyes with pain in his heart. When he didn't answer her, Zelda gasped, and broke away from the group, running out of the Temple in tears. 

  
  


A pair of eyes watched the commotion of the people on the ground, scurrying around the marketplace like worker ants. 'Humph! Like little insects. Go ahead, run around that filthy Temple with a magnifying glass, it won't do you any good.' The ominous gaze turned away from the hole in the wall that used to have a pane of glass in it. Not that it matters, anyhow. 'Link has a lady friend, does he? How sentimental. Our little boy is becoming a man. Hmm . . . she could be useful to me. If he cares for her, he'll do whatever it takes to find her if she were to go missing. But how can that be made possible?' Back to the open window, the eyes brightened as it caught Princess Zelda running from the Temple. 'Oh, ho ho, yes! The little princess. Link worships the ground she walks on. Damn, am I smart. This should be as easy as sweet Gerudo 

pie . . .'


	4. A Bad Argument

  
  


Chapter 3

  
  
  
  


'Where is it? Oh, man, if I don't find it . . .' 

Link smoothed Epona's mane, soothing her, as they both watched Tink with anxiety. Tink was nervous, too. She knew they were watching her. She hated people staring at her. She hated it! But no, this had to be done. The young thing folded her hands, and started pacing faster; back and forth, round and round . . . after all, she couldn't leave without it a second time. That was inconsiderable. 'Wait! There it--no, it's just a Rupee.'

"Tink, are you sure you're all right? Don't you need any help? It is getting late."

"Just a few minutes," she replied, repeating herself under her breath: "Just a few more minutes . . . one minute would be good. Or a few."

"What did you lose, exactly?"

"Nothing," she retorted, then quickly added in a whisper, "Um, I mean, nothing really . . . "

Soon, she sat down on the grassy hill, and let her eyes fall on the tiny stream running below her. It babbled its way to a bend in a nearby cliff and disappeared round the corner, en route to Zora's Domain. Tink would have liked to see it, only she couldn't. She promised herself that afternoon that she couldn't go anywhere, anywhere, before getting 'it' back. She cursed herself once more for losing it in the first place.

Link continued watching her long after Epona occupied herself with searching for dinner in the grass. He studied the girl he hardly knew as she let out a childlike yawn and stretched herself out on the ground. The only thing he could think to do was go to her. That was the only thing he wanted to do. 

"A-ha! Gotcha, little bastard."

Tink's sudden pounce on an unsuspecting object in the grass reverberated over the silence of Hyrule field. It also sent Epona into another of her hyperactive fits. After Link was able to restrain her, he was just about to interrogate his new friend when Tink hoisted herself onto the horse. "Okay," her words came fast and rushed. "I'm ready, let's go."

The horse didn't move. Link looked over his shoulder at Tink, patiently. "What's your hurry? I take it you found what you were looking for."

Tink was taken aback. "No hurry. It's just that . . . we can go now."

Link sighed. 'What is with this girl?' An uncomfortable instant went by, and they were on their way back to the forest.

  
  
  
  


The next morning, Link and Tink were racing back to Kakariko village. The sun had just peaked over the horizon when a villager came running into the Kokiri hideout with an urgent message: the Princess had been attacked.

The village was not as tumultuous as the market was the night before, but Link and Tink could tell that a disaster had taken place. No one dared to set foot outside their home. Even as they were led to Impa's house by Zelda's guard, Link and Tink caught glimpses of frightened faces peering at them from closed shutters. "This place is a ghost town," Tink remarked. Link glanced at her, but didn't reply.

They found Zelda sitting at her table on the second floor. Any colour that her face once retained had faded to a pale blur. One of her eyes was slightly darker than the other, like the preface of a black eye. On her forehead was a faint red line with two tiny bandages across it, and her left arm was in a sling. The minute she saw Link enter the room, Zelda broke away from the attendants encompassing her and leapt into his arms, sobbing like nobody's business. 

"Oh, Link," Zelda wailed into Link's chest. "It was awful! I was so scared! I was walking around outside--then these big, greasy things came running at me! Oh, I was so terrified!!!"

"Big greasy things?" Link gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about? Zelda? Wait--I can't understand a thing you're saying . . . " He tried hard to get an answer out of her, but Zelda simply continued her unintelligible bawling.

Tink inched a little closer to them. "What did these things look like, Zelda?"

She raised her head a bit, but didn't look at Tink. "Uh, really big, green . . . very strong and fast. A couple of them were clearing the roofs, no problem. They carried daggers, too."

"Hmm . . . why does that sound so familiar?" Link gazed at the ceiling in thought.

"Lizalfos-isn't that what they're called?" Tink asked him.

Both Link and Zelda looked at her with dread, and exchanged glances. How could she have known that? "Yes," Link said after an eternity of silence. "That's exactly what they're called."

"That's them, all right," Zelda shivered at the thought. "They were swinging daggers at everyone in their path! Oh, Din, it was-so-terrifying-" she burst into a fresh frenzy of tears again. After watching the pathetic display for a minute, one of Zelda's attendants gently pried her from Link and guided her back upstairs. Another attendant offered Link and Tink to stay with the princess while he got them something to eat. Tink pleasantly agreed, and followed after Zelda. 

"What about you?" the attendant nudged Link. "A growing boy like yourself can't just stand here wasting away, you know."

"No thanks," Link grumbled as he raptly watched Tink put a hand on Zelda's trembling shoulder. "I'm suddenly not very hungry."

  
  
  
  


A little object in Tink's hands danced nervously as its possessor listened to the conversation:

"I'm sorry. *sniff* It's just really hard to talk about . . . "

"That's okay. Take your time. What did they say to you?"

"I'm not too sure. Everyone was running around, screaming when they saw them. They were more terrified than I was. I thought I heard them say to take prisoners, but no one was taken. My guards told me everyone was accounted for once they'd gone, but I distinctly heard one scream, 'find the lost princess!'"

Link made one of those puzzled faces of his. "Lost princess? That's different."

"That's what I thought, too. I didn't really care, however. I just started running, telling whomever I could to get into their homes. They seemed to get the idea without my help. I knew I'd draw attention to myself if I was the only one running into this house, so I decided to head for the graveyard. At least that way, I could draw them there and away from the civilians."

"Good thinking," Tink piped up. She must have sounded a little sarcastic, because both Link and Zelda gave her a look that immediately silenced her.

"Anyway, I was running. Out of nowhere, it started raining heavily. I slipped as I passed the Cuckoo Lady's pen. My foot caught on the fence and I slammed into the ground. My arm broke my fall." She exhibited her sling. "I was lying there in a panic; I could hear the screeching getting louder. Thank Nayru the Cuckoo Lady saw me. She pulled me into the pen just as they showed up. When they ordered her to hand me over, she was brave enough to sick her Cuckoos on them. One Lizardfos went down instantly, another made it as far as the Skulltula house, but the other two ran out of the village."

Link nodded. "I see. Yeah, those Cuckoos can be bloodthirsty. Then, that was it? They just attacked the village and left?"

"Yes-wait! One-no, two of them were talking about something, I remember it now."

"What was it?"

"Something . . . about my hand. Yes, that's what they said. My right hand. When they found me with the Cuckoo Lady, he stepped forward, and said: 'This needn't take long. All we need is her right hand."

Everyone in the room with a decent sense of hearing jumped at the sound of something clattering loudly onto Tink's empty plate. Ignoring the remaining bits of food on the plate, Tink snapped up the object before anyone could see it and held it firmly in her lap. "Sorry," she whispered, and hung her head.

With the realization in mind, Link and Zelda were really suspicious now. Still glaring at Tink, Zelda addressed both her and Link. "You know what, you two? I realized something else last night."

Only Link replied with, "What's that?" Zelda continued to wear Tink down with her gaze. "Counting back, your friend Tink here arrived about six days ago; it just so happens, that was the same night of the earthquake that no one else felt."

Tink wanted to raise her head and try to defend herself, but she couldn't. Instead of words, there was a great throbbing in her throat, the one that would only be relieved with tears. Link seemed to pick up on her pain, and his mistrust changed to sympathy. "Actually," he interrupted politely. "I did kinda notice. When I was trying to sleep that night, I remember feeling extremely hungry. I must have figured it was my stomach rumbling."

"That's not the point, Link!" Zelda snapped. "What I am trying to tell you is that the night Tink arrived in Hyrule, the Sacred Realm opened up, releasing our mortal enemy! Doesn't that seem a little farfetched to you?"

Link was clearly taken aback and hurt. "Zelda, that is not fair. How can you imply such a thing? I can understand your fear and all, but there hasn't been any evidence that Tink has had anything to do with-" 

"Give me some credit, Link. There can't be two parallel universes spewing people, now can there?"

Tink shut her eyes tightly. "Don't you speak to him that way."

Zelda glared at her with wide eyes. "Excuse me?" she whispered, outraged.

With effort, Tink's gaze met with that of the princess. "I said, don't talk to Link that way. That's right, you heard me. I know exactly what you're trying to imply about me, but I don't care. I know fully well that I have nothing to do with Ganon, and your trifling observations haven't changed my mind. That doesn't mean you can't go mouthing off to people like that, especially when you want their help."

Zelda's pulse began to race as she slowly rose from her seat to tower over the young girl. "How dare you?! What, in your right mind, do you think you are, talking to me like that? And how on earth did you know we were talking about Ganon?"

Tink jumped from her seat before anyone could have stopped her. "That's not important. What is important is that you are being a mean person, and it sounds like it's about time someone put you in your place, regardless of who you are or who your father may be. "

"I suggest you shut up before you really get yourself into some deep trouble. It seems you haven't noticed, but my 'trifling observations' can get you into a lot of trouble, little girl. Just mentioning Ganon's name proves that you know more than you are passing off." She turned on Link, accusingly. "I knew she was evil! I knew it! And you were too bewitched by her to believe me, weren't you? Now it turns out I'm right. She's in league with the King of the Gerudos, who not only still has the Triforce of Power, but is still trying to claim the entire Triforce for himself, and you led them both right to me!"

"No!" Tink was pleading, and no longer angry. "No, Link, she's wrong. Listen, I can't explain it to you, but I have nothing to do with Ganon, nothing! You have to believe me, why would I lie?"

As the guards and servants in the house watched in fear, Link stood and placed his hands on both Zelda's and Tink's shoulders, trying to urge them to sit. "Ladies, let just calm down. Zelda, this is getting out of hand."

"Hands off," Zelda commanded. "I am not letting my guard down any longer. There is no dignity in sitting down for her to stab me with whatever concealed weapon she's carrying in her hand."

Link sighed, and reached out to Tink. "Tink, please give it to me."

As much as she wanted to be trusted, Tink knew she could not let Link see what she had. She was in enough trouble as it was. "No. Forgive me, Link, but I can't."

The anger in his eyes returned. "Give it to me. Now." But Tink only shook her head, and returned to her seat.

Zelda was too angry to smirk. "Enough of this. If she won't listen to you, she won't listen to reason at all. Guards." She gave a commanding gesture to the men at the door.

"No," Link pointed to the guards to remain where they were. "Zelda, please. Stop this nonsense. You've never been like this."

"What is that supposed to mean? Link, we let our guard down to Ganondorf once, and he destroyed this land. I vowed to my dying father before Impa and I fled that we would never let that happen again. Not you or anyone else is going to change my mind."

Tink could not hold her tears back any longer. "Why won't you believe me?" she whimpered to Link and Zelda. "Do I really seem that dangerous to you?"

"Shut up!" Zelda cried. "Stop trying to act so sad and helpless. You're figured out. You somehow aided Ganon from his prison to wreak havoc on our lives again, and you did it in a way no one would have expected: by using Link as your pawn. Well, it's been cute up until now, but the game is over. Not only are Link and I targeted once more, but you've succeeded in preventing Link from ever returning to his original time. And you expect him to trust you now?! Then you are as stupid as you are incompetent! So, you're just going to sit there and cry? Spare us."

"Zelda," Link tried not to cry himself. "I think you've said enough."

"And yet, she's still here!" Zelda snarled. "Well, what are you waiting for? If you aren't going to let the guards escort you out with some self-respect, piss off already!"

Tink couldn't take it anymore. If not even Link would help her, she was out of options. With those words, she pushed her chair away from the table so hard it toppled over onto the hardwood floor. With gut-wrenching sobs, she ran down the stairs, past the gawking servants and stupefied guards, out the door. It took two seconds for Link to jump from his chair and chase after her. He reached the front door in time to see Tink leap from the ridge behind the Skulltula house. "Tink!" he called out, looking for her. But she had completely disappeared from sight. As Zelda called for him to return inside, Link ran to the village exit. The sun was beginning to set, but if he and Epona were fast, maybe they could find Tink before dark-or worse yet, before something happened to her.

  
  
  
  


The pounding of Tink's feet echoed in her ears, throughout her body, as she ran recklessly up Death Mountain. Exhausted from both crying and running, she finally gave up just below a steep rise in the mountain, and fell to her knees. Her sobs resonated off the nearby cliffs.

She sat there for a while, sniffling, trying to think clearly. As she looked around, she took a minute to get her bearings. Tink recognized her surroundings easily. Wiping her face with her fingers, she caught sight of some small, red shapes just beyond the cliff in front of her. Too tired to stand, she crawled on her hands and knees until she was inches away from falling to her death. It was the village. From so far above, Tink remarked how tiny Kakariko was. She let her sobs die down to hiccups, watching the reflection of the sun's colour on the cliffs fade from a fiery orange to a serene blue, and then to a thick black. One by one, tiny flicks of brightness appeared in the village as its citizens turned on their lights, and upon sleeping, turned them off again.

Knowing it was pointless to stay there, Tink rose to her feet. She didn't bother brushing the dirt off her dress; instead, she worried about the streaks on her face as she looked up at the mountains in bewilderment. 'How on earth am I going to get down from here?'

Suddenly, Tink noticed a wooden sign just behind her. She walked over to it, trying to decipher the strange, hieroglyphical letters painted on it; as she came closer, they slowly formed words:

Follow the trail along the edge of

the cliff and you will reach

Goron City, home of the Gorons 

  
  


Tink's eyes lit up. 'I guess there's hope for me yet,' she thought to herself enthusiastically. She gingerly walked up the mountain until she reached a level area with scattered stones, and another wooden sign pointing into a cavernous opening in the side of the rock. Pieces of canvas were suspended above the opening, the Goron's Ruby was painted onto each one. She didn't need to look at the sign to know it was safe to go in.

  
  
  
  


"Arrgh! This is useless! Can we go home now?"

Zelda's voice echoed while Link ran across the bridge over Lake Hylia, which reflected the moon drifting over the night sky. Tink was not on the little island above the Water Temple, either-'not that she could have found her way here,' Link thought to himself.

"Listen, Zelda," he called to her with a sigh. "Yes, it's cold, and it's probably one in the morning right about now, but I am not going home without Tink. Only the Goddesses know where she might have run off to."

Zelda slumped into the grass again, and wrapped her cloak around herself tightly. "Oh, please. That little wimp? I doubt she has enough energy in that tiny little body of hers to get herself one lap around the Ranch."

Link closed his eyes with angst. Ever since they had left the village to look for Tink, Zelda had been doing nothing else but complain and insult her; however, Link didn't care. Tink's running away was as much his fault as it was Zelda's. That was the only reason he was dragging Zelda along.

Out for a late night swim, a Zora watched Link with curiosity as he leaned against the rope railing of the bridge. "You all right, kid?" asked the Zora, swimming toward him.

Link looked down at wearily, and sighed. "Have you seen a girl around here?"

The Zora raised the part of his face where his eyebrows would have been. "A girl?"

"Yeah. She's about this high, black dress, black boots . . . crying? Running?"

Confused, the Zora shook his head. "A crying Gerudo? We don't get much of those around here."

"No, she isn't a Gerudo."

"Sorry, Link. Can't help you there. I haven't seen anybody."

"Thanks anyway," Link sighed again, and started walking to the marble ruins that led to Zora's Domain, where Zelda sat. "Let's go."

"'Bout time," Zelda grumbled as she clambered toward Epona, who ate grass nearby, and got up on the horse herself. "So, what would you like for dinner? Cuckoo or fish?"

Link glared at her as he mounted Epona. "Who said we're going home for dinner? 

We find Tink first."

"But-"

Link jerked on the reins to send Epona into a wild frenzy, rearing on her hind legs and racing away from the pond with such a force, that is was enough to tell Zelda that she had said enough. After a few minutes of silence, Link spoke again: "We'll stop by the forest to tell the Kokiri to keep an eye out for Tink, and then we'll continue searching."

Zelda turned slightly to look at him. "And if we still don't find her? Then what?"

Link didn't respond. He didn't want to start thinking that way just yet.

"Good luck finding your Gerudo," the Zora yelled as they departed. 


	5. Reconciliation

Chapter 4  
  
  
  


When the blast of white dissolved and left in her obscurity, Tink thought she had gone blind; then she realized that it was the middle of the night, and she had been gone for hours. Tink followed the little tunnel of moonlight until her boot met the grass of the forest. Ha! She laughed to herself triumphantly. As she wandered through the other tunnels of the Lost Woods, she couldn't help but feel smug. 'Link must be worried sick about me by now, thinking I don't know my way around Hyrule . . . well, I showed him.'

The Kokiri domain was empty when Tink arrived. This brought her down again. Was she half-expecting a search party to be after her? Maybe. She wasn't sure. All she knew was how lonely she felt then.

"Tink? Tink?"

Her head whipped around, looking for the source of the high-pitched voice. "Hello?" she called out. "Who's there?"

"Tink! I summon you! Come on, don't be shy!" 

Yes, she did know where it was coming from. Tink followed the voice as it continued to call her, as her skepticism grew. The voice led her to the Great Deku Meadow, where her eyes met a beam of light shimmering down on a happy-looking sprout, the shadow of the Great Deku Tree's remains behind it.

"Yeesh! It's about time," the Sprout piped up when Tink stood before it. Silence followed, until it continued: "Welcome, little one. I'm glad to finally meet you."

Tink glared at the Deku Tree Sprout with apprehension. "Um, yeah, thanks. May I ask . . . you are the one talking, right?" 

"Of course. Why do you question that?" 

"Because your mouth isn't moving."

"Think of it as telepathy, dear."

"Oh." 'Now I must be crazy.'

"I don't blame you for thinking that. This is a strange place for you, huh?"

Tink shrugged shyly. "Well, yes. It sounds weird, but to me, all of this is just a-"

"Game? A 'video game,' as you would call it?"

Her jaw dropped. "Wha-how-"

"Honey, I am the Deku Tree Sprout. I know this stuff!"

Tink sank to the ground, sitting as she listened to the Sprout: "The moment you fell flat on your face in the middle of the field last week, I knew who you were. I know that you come from a far-off land, a distant time and space, completely foreign to this one. I know everything-and I mean EVERYTHING-about you. More than you know about yourself."

"Hold it. Do you know how I got here?"

"Of course. I know EVERYTHI-"

"Tell me."

"Why, you fell asleep while playing. A thunderstorm broke out. A bolt of lightning shot through an open window in your basement and hit the thing you were holding in your slumber." 

She thought back to the scene for a minute, and made a face. "Wait a sec. How is that possible?! The lightning would have to strike at the ground at such an angle, let alone to go through the window at the bottom of a three-story building, and that doesn't even begin to explain why I wasn't killed when-"

"Okay, okay, I can't explain that one! Give me a break, I'm not the one writing this story. It happened. You're here. Deal with it."

"Deal with it?!" Tink exclaimed angrily. "Why can't you put your knowledge to use, like telling me how to get back home?"

"Aw, that would be too easy," the Sprout giggled. "Trust me, you'll be able to figure it out when the time comes. So, do you have anything to ask me? Anything else plaguing your thoughts?"

Tink thought for a minute. "Where is Link? Right now?"

"On his way here, with Zelda. They were looking for you all day. Well, Link was; Zelda has just been making squeaky noises."

"He was worried about me?"

"Yes, very much. I can see why."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, silly me, I must have said something that makes no sense whatsoever or simply doesn't apply to you. Now, if there is nothing else you would like to discuss with me, I bid you farewell."

Tink stood up and brushed off the bits of grass that stuck to her dress. "What made you think I had things to discuss in the first place, anyhow?"

The Sprout scoffed at her. "Sweetie, I can tell these things."

"All right, then," Tink put her hands on her hips. "Maybe you could tell me what's going with Ganon? What is hethinking?"

No sounds came from the Deku Tree Sprout. "No. I-I can't!"

"Okay, thanks anyway. See you." Tink turned around and started walking, hearing the falsetto voice of the Sprout get smaller and smaller: "I can't! I can't!"

Tink stretched out her arms as she hopped over the stones in the stream, wondering what to do next. She wasn't tired, and she felt guilty about going to sleep in Link's house when he wasn't even there. But what else was there to do? Just as she thought this, she heard a tiny voice calling her name again. Tink furrowed her eyebrows, for it was not the Sprout's voice: this one sounded much higher and almost feminine. It wasn't long before it was joined with several other voices. 

"Tink!" It was Mina, climbing down from the peak that led to the Lost Woods, followed by three other Kokiri children. "Tink! You're not going to bed, are you?"

Tink was so bewildered by the gnomish faces grinning up at her that she wasn't sure what she was doing. "Well, it is late, and I-"

"No!" Mina cried out. "Get her." The other three pulled on her arms and pushed her from behind. "You will come and join our party in the Sacred Meadow. You can't sleep now. It's not even 01:30 yet! Let's go, it'll be fun-we've got food, and dancing, and we were going to do your hair! Oh please, Tink!" There was nothing she could do. Laughing and trying to resist, Tink was dragged toward the Woods.  
  
  
  


"Where is everyone?"

Eerie silence welcomed Link and Zelda as they entered the forest. It was much too quiet, especially for the Kokiri. "Is this place always this dead?" Zelda whispered again, trying not to disturb the stillness.

"No," Link shook his head as he peered into the window of Mido's house. "They're missing. Even the ones who are usually out at this time have disappeared. Where could they have gone?"

"You see? I told you there was something strange that kid. She probably wiped them out after making her escape."

Link turned on her then. "When are you going to stop talking like that?! I know neither of us have known Tink that long, but she honestly doesn't strike me as an evil person. She just seemed so . . . kind and sweet."

"Yeah, I bought it too," Zelda replied with sarcasm. "Everyone did. But it's going to cost us, Link, if we don't find and stop her-" 

"From doing what?! Killing everyone and taking over Hyrule with Ganon at her side? Please, Zelda, you can't possibly believe that."

By this point in time, both Link and Zelda stopped worrying about lowering their voices. "Oh yeah?! Fine then, Mr. know-it-all! How do YOU explain the mysterious disappearance of all the Kokiri children?"

That was the moment they heard someone screaming in the distance. At first, it struck them with fear, but then, the screaming turned into delighted laughter, joined by that of others. "Lemme go! Aaah, lemme go!" the high-pitched voice began to shout.

"Where did that come from?" Zelda asked to no one in particular, but she needed no reply. She was already following Link up the vine wall and into the Lost Woods.

As they approached the maze of the Sacred Forest Meadow, the shouts and shrieks combined with forest music and drums and the smell of food and wine. Even as they ran up the long narrow staircase to the Forest Temple, Link and Zelda grew even more confused.

The sight that greeted them was something no one ever would have expected, let alone them. Kokiri children left and right were dancing, feasting, and playing games. A couple of them were gambling on who could climb the highest up the Temple. Only four people were not participating in the festivities: Lara and Sara were pinning Tink down to a tree stump, leaving Mina free to braid her hair and insert tiny fairies wherever she deemed fit, which made Tink squirm and squeal as they wriggled against her scalp.

"Ow, I think one bit me," Tink giggled. "How many of those things are writhing in my hair, Mina?"

"Silence. If you're going tot be our Kokiri Queen of the Fairies, you gotta look the part," Mina commanded as she tied off the final braid with a green ribbon. She walked around Tink to examine her handiwork, then turned to face the other children with a grand flourish. "Attention, Kokiri! I introduce to you or Kokiri Queen of the Fairies! Bask in her presence." They laughed, cheered, and raised their glasses to Tink, but Mina was not satisfied. "You peasants, I said BASK!!!"

Following along with Mina's game/tantrum, the kids dropped what they were doing to kneel on the grass, arms waving in the air, making chanting noises. Everybody was aware that it was meant to be a joke; still, Tink felt uneasy.

"Don't be shy," the twins said gently, helping Tink to stand up and receive her praise. "Come on, get up!"

"Listen, kids, this is all very flattering, but I really don't think . . . "

"Nonsense!" Mina laughed. She returned to Tink's side and tugged on Tink's dress for attention. "You're our queen now. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. You're going to be living with us forever . . . aren't you?"

Tink was stunned by her innocence, and kneeled down to Mina's level. "What did you say?"

"Well, you can't go home, right? I mean, you told me so yourself. So that means you can live with us. This can be your new home. And we'll all play games and have fun . . . and you won't even be the only big person here! Link can keep you company."

Keep in mind that no one had noticed Link or Zelda standing in the stair tunnel this whole time. "Mina," Tink began quietly; she wasn't sure how to say this, especially to a child. "Mina, that's a very lovely thing to say. I know you mean well, but you see, I don't know if Link wants to . . . oh, I really don't know how to explain this."

Confused, Mina wrinkled her nose and glanced around, until she realized Link was in the vicinity. "Hey, you can just ask him!"

The tension between the oldest people there made everyone whisper with curiosity. Why did Link and Tink look at each other so fearfully? And what was the Princess doing there? Well, it could only be the Princess of course, no common village would look like that. What the hell was going on? What happened to the rest of the wine? And so on, and so on.

Tink could not run. This was against every moral fibre in her body. Her only means of escape would be to trample over every Kokiri in her path, then knock down Link and Zelda in the process. It was not going to happen. She stood calmly, firmly, as Link left Zelda's side and carefully walked toward her. I'm not going to run away, she thought to herself. I have no reason to. 'They're the ones who should be sorry. There's nothing I have to apologize for-I don't care if either of them does. It's time I learned to stand up for myself . . .' 

"Tink?" Link tried hard not to stare at Tink judgmentally, as the fairies were trying to escape from her hair. "You're okay! Right?"

She made a valid attempt to remain cool. "Yeah," she shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"We've been looking everywhere for you. We had no idea where you ran off to. I was so worried . . . " He reached out to put his hands on her shoulders comfortingly, but Tink sidestepped him and began marching off to the closest food-laden table.

"Worried? What for? I'm perfectly fine-I can take care of myself, you know. I've been 

taking care of myself long before this day. This isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be, Link."

"What? Of course it is." Link didn't hesitate to follow her. "Anything could have happened to you out there, and if something had happened . . . I never would have forgiven myself."

His voice grew desperate. "Listen, things got out of hand this afternoon, and it shouldn't have happened. It's just that-our situation in Hyrule has been really awful for as long as I can remember, and when the realization of Ganon arose, it just drove us all crazy. If you knew Ganon, then you would understand. But that doesn't make it right, turning on you the way we did. Although Zelda won't say it out loud, she's sorry. And I'm sorry, too. I didn't show it this afternoon, but the truth is that I really care about you, Tink." 

"Didn't you hear me?" Tink whirled around, defensive. "I don't care. Both of you can say whatever you want, I don't need you-what are you doing?"

As she was talking, it didn't become clear what Link was up to until his arms were around her and he was hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry," he kept whispering softly. "Please forgive me, Tink?" It confused her terribly. She didn't know whether to be angry or happy or relieved anymore. So she simply hugged back and said, "It's okay."

For about a minute, everyone simply watched them make up until Mina broke the silence with a childish groan. "Ugh, this is obviously a grown-up thing. Let's party!"

Link and Tink pulled apart as the feasting, dancing, and gambling started up again. "This will be going on for at least a couple more hours," Link laughed shyly. "I just have to take Zelda back home, and then . . . "

Tink nodded. "It's all right. I understand." With a shy smile on both their faces, they separated as Link returned to Zelda's side and they walked, side by side, down the stairs and out of the forest meadow.  
  


Nothing could be more painful for Link and Zelda than riding back to the village in complete, uncomfortable silence. Without communicating, Link stopped in front of the staircase and Zelda dismounted, turning away to leave. Link did not look to watch her, and prepared to ride away.

"Link?"

He didn't turn to meet her gaze. "Yeah?"

"You really like her, don't you?"

He coughed with surprise and looked at her incredulously. "WHAT?!"

But Zelda wasn't angry like she was before. It was hard to detect it, but there was a hint of a mischievous smile on her face. "You heard me, man. Tink; you really like her."

"Yeah, well . . . " Link blushed, then pretended to accuse her. "You like her, too."

Zelda let out a sarcastic laugh, then sighed. "Yeah. I guess I do."

She sat down at the bottom of the steps. Link jumped down from Epona to join her. Together, they sat quietly, watching the clouds pass over the moon. "Then why did you get so angry at her today?" Link finally asked.

Zelda thought for a minute. "The truth?"

"Please."

"Sheer jealousy."

"No, Zelda, seriously."

She didn't reply. Link looked at her, caught off guard. "Zelda . . . "

"No, don't flatter yourself! You're my friend; maybe not under normal circumstances, but we've been through a lot together. Suddenly, after waiting around for years, you came back, but I couldn't tell you the truth about who I was-that hurt. I would've given anything for things to be normal, for us to just enjoy being together without having to worry about saving anything or anybody. Finally, when the danger disappeared, we decided to give you one day before saying goodbye again. I was worried about you that whole time, you know? I was afraid something had happened to you that night . . . after all, you were so weak after defeating Ganon, I wasn't sure you'd make it home in one piece. Then, after waiting days and days to hear word from you, you showed up at my door with this strange girl. This strange, beautiful girl. It was like someone had taken you away from me all over again. What did you expect me to think?"

Link listened to all this, saddened by Zelda's words. "Your anger towards her had nothing to do with Ganon . . . is that what you're telling me?"

"Well, no, that's not true. Naturally, I was freaked about this whole return-of-Ganon thing. I just took it out on the wrong person . . . once my mind started going, once the words started coming out, I don't know what happened to me. I-I couldn't stop." There were tears forming in her eyes when she raised her head to meet Link's gaze. "Could you ever forgive me?"

"You said it yourself; you're my friend," Link smiled. "How could I not forgive you?"

She chuckled in reply, and let out a sniffle. "Could she?"

He paused for a minute. "I don't see why not."

Zelda smiled back; they reached out and hugged each other, relieved that the tension was gone. "I should go now," Zelda finally whispered. "The attendants must be pulling their hair out by now."

She patted Epona's nose and Link hopped back on, readying himself to ride away. "Link, wait!" Zelda cried out just in time. "Before you go, there's something I should tell you."

"I'm listening."

"It's about Tink. I'd be careful if I were you. No, wait, just hear me out. I don't suspect her working with Ganon anymore, but I can't get over the coincidence of them showing up in Hyrule at the same time. Take care of her, Link. My father and I learned it the hard way: if you are not Ganon's ally, it's because you're his target."  
  
  
  


"Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who had a dog. She-"

"What's a dog?"

Tink and Link laughed at Sara's question. They and the Kokiri sat around a large bonfire, tired, well-fed, and eager to hear a bedtime story. Tink sat in the storyteller's seat, which was Saria's tree stump, beside Link. Lara and Sara sat to Tink's right. Mina sat to Link's left, while Mido was seated next to her.

"A dog is a furry animal with four legs," Link explained to the children. "People usually keep them as pets. You sometimes see them running around the forest at night."

"Oh, you mean those cute little wild animals. Okay. Sorry to interrupt."

"It's perfectly all right," Tink laughed. "If anyone else has any other questions, there's no harm in asking. Now, where was I? Oh, yes-the girl loved the dog very much, but she was concerned about him. Sometimes, the dog would get into trouble with this mean old lady who lived nearby. The dog would go into her flower garden, or tease the lady's cat-yes, Lara, it's another kind of pet, just like a dog. Well, one day, the dog and cat were getting at each other again, so the old lady attacked the dog with a large stick, and he bit her in defense (she paused to let the children laugh and cheer). But, the old lady was so mean and cruel, she marched down to the girl's house that very day and demanded her family hand the dog to her, so she could take it away to be killed."

The Kokiri gasped in horror. "That bitch," Lara cried.

"Wait. It doesn't end there. The girl decided she wouldn't let the mean old lady or her family push her around and take her dog away; she packed her things and ran away from home. As she walked down the road, she met a fortune teller. When told her fortune, the girl learned that someone in her family was going to be very sick, and maybe die. (The children gasped; some held each other in fright) So the girl ran home as fast as she could, but then, all of a sudden . . . " To create the right effect, Tink grabbed a piece of firewood, drenched it with some leftover wine, and tossed it into the bonfire. It caught fire so fast, a blast of white flames shot up into the air, causing everyone to scream with excitement. "A tornado broke out! The winds tore through the countryside, knocking down trees, so fast it sounded like a scream worse than that of any monster you could name.

"When the girl finally reached home, she found it empty. Unbeknownst to her, her family was hiding underground to avoid the storm. She ran around, screaming for help . . . but no one came to her rescue. When her back was turned, the wind just happened to rip one of the shutters from a nearby window, and the shutter hit the girl-SMACK! (Tink banged her hands together, making everyone jump) Right in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. As she fell into a deep sleep, the wind picked up the barn and spun it higher and higher into the air-"

Mido gave her a scornful look. "A barn?! What the fuck is a barn?!"

Link reached over and backhanded Mido in the face. Mina burst out laughing at the sight, and several other Kokiri joined in. "I like your story already!" Link whispered to Tink. "How did you come with it?"

Tink gave him a sly smile. "Uh-uh, a great storyteller never gives away her secret."

"Aw, come on!"

She shook her head gleefully. "No!"

They both laughed and smiled at each other. Their gazes locked, just as they had the night they first met. Embarrassed, Tink blushed slightly and looked away. Link did the same, until Zelda's words echoed in his mind without remembering: "You really like her, don't you?...Take care of her, Link . . . take care of her . . . " He watched her as he thought of this. As casually as possible, he moved beside her onto the tree stump and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Go on with your story," he whispered to her.

Tink sat still, amazed. "Yes . . . well, the barn . . . it, um, eventually fell back down to earth, and . . . " She stopped, nervous. But it didn't last. There was something pleasant about the way Link moved closer to her; the way the children watched her with interest; the way the moon hung overhead, and the warmth of the bonfire brought some of the children into a cluster around her feet as they waited for her to continue her story, held in suspense. Tink felt good about herself; in fact, it was around that particular moment that she noticed she didn't miss her home. 

"All right," she started again, leaning forward as she lowered her voice: "The jolt of the barn landing awoke the young girl from her slumber. When she and her little dog didn't hear the winds blowing, they went to the front door to see if the storm was over. The girl opened the door, and discovered she had awoken in a strange land, filled with beautiful colours and mystical creatures . . . "  
  


'Beautiful colours and mystical creatures, my ass. This is too lovey-dovey for my tastes. All right, plan A backfired: Link and Zelda fell for the divide-and-conquer thing for a while, but now that they're all friends again, I can't kidnap the strange kid now. Hence, new plan. Maybe, if I can get her alone . . . yes, then I could hold her for ransom and trade her for the other Triforce pieces. But how to do that? What could I use on her? Ah, I know; let's see what the little girl is afraid of, shall we?'


	6. Love, Hatred, and the Rising Sun

Chapter 5

  
  


She was lying on the ground again, but it wasn't soft, it wasn't grassy, it wasn't wet. The surface underneath her was firm, fuzzy. She opened her eyes to recognize the familiar patterns of her favourite Oriental rug in the basement. Relieved, she curled herself onto it, ready to go back to sleep, but something wasn't right. Although she was surrounded by darkness, it felt she wasn't alone. Suddenly, the sound of an erratic heartbeat echoed all around her...like the heartbeat of a dying person. She jumped to her feet, whirling around to locate the source, finding nothing. She was about to move away from the rug when her eyes caught a large, disfigured shadow coming towards her at an alarming speed. That was when she couldn't move. She tried to scream, but she tried too late. The moment she realized only tiny sounds could leave her mouth, the figure grabbed at her throat, choking the life out of her. It easily hoisted her into the air and threw her, sending her flying, hurling deeper and lower into the darkness...


End file.
